


Keith's A Bad Babysitter

by Lxie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Keith really shouldn't be alone with children, M/M, Right?, aaron is a little shit, but he'll get used to it, but he's a cute shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-16
Packaged: 2019-02-15 15:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13034367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lxie/pseuds/Lxie
Summary: In where Keith loses his nephew





	Keith's A Bad Babysitter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BleuSarcelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BleuSarcelle/gifts).



Keith paced in the modest living room, avoiding an upended coffee table and the leg of the armchair, phone in hand and pressed hard to his ear. “Come on, come on, come on,” he chanted.

“Hello?” a confused voice answered.

“LANCE!” Keith shouted, stalling his pacing. “I need help! Come to Shiro’s and Allura’s right now!”

“O-okay but wh—“

“No time to answer! Just get here as fast as possible _please_ , I really need your help.”

“Uh, sure, K—“ Keith didn’t wait, as soon as he heard the confirmation he pressed end, threw his phone on the couch and continued with tearing the modest living room apart.

-

When he heard the doorbell ring he shoved the knife drawer shut with a slam, vaulting over the various furniture that were scattered across the rooms to get to the door. With a final scramble over the back of the couch he answered the door panting but relieved. Lance would know what to do; he’s good in crisis situations like this.

When he opened the door Lance’s eyes widened and stumbled back a step, almost falling down the small concrete steps behind him. “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Buddy! Why the fudge do you have a chef knife in your hand?!”

Keith looked at his hand, and there it was, a large knife clenched in his right hand. “I guess I forgot to put this in the drawer.” Lowering the knife hand he reached forward with his free hand and yanked Lance in the house by the shirtsleeve. “You’re good with babies. I’ll put the knife away and help me!”

Lance looked at him with growing concern with maybe a touch of fear. “Keith,” he started slowly, “why did you say ‘knife’ and _’babies’_ together?”

Keith glared at him like he was stupid. “Lance. I was putting away the knives. Babies can die from knives.”

Lance threw his arms up incredulously. “ _Obviously_ , and so can you but you just parkour-ed over here _with_ the knife! Give me that!” Lance snatched the knife out of Keith’s grip and marched over to the kitchen, opening at least three drawers before he found the one that held all the knives. Dropping it in he slammed it shut, knives rattling inside, before leaning against the counter and in front of the drawer to glare at Keith.

Lance crossed his arms watching how Keith pouted but stood across from him. “Okay, start from the top.”

Keith huffed and muttered something indecipherable; thumb running over his knuckles soothingly.

“What was that?”

He stopped self-soothing, deciding to glare at him instead, pink flush on his cheeks. “I said that we don’t have time for this. We have to find him!”

Now Lance was alarmed. Someone’s missing? And—taking in the state of the living room—oh my god…”SHIRO’S MISSING?!”

Keith’s head jerked, staring at him like he was insane. “What? No! He had to go on a work thing with Allura!”

“Then who’s missing?!” Lance asked, grabbing Keith’s shoulders shaking him a little.

Keith grabbed his shoulders in kind, some sort of animalistic sound a cross between a screech and a growl gurgling from the back of his throat. “Not. In the way you’re thinking.” He let go of his shoulders, rubbing the palms of his hands down his face, groaning. “It started when Shiro asked me to babysit—“

“He asked _you_ to babysit?”

It’s a good thing Lance took that knife because he was 98% sure Keith would’ve stabbed him with it right then. Lance held his hands up in surrender and mimed zipping his lips.

Keith looked at him for a good five seconds before sighing and starting over. “So this morning Shiro called…”

-

“Hey, Keith, could you babysit for Allura and I in a half hour? I know it’s last minute but there’s an emergency at the Castle. Apparently, Lotor is over there to use the venue without a scheduled meeting and is pissed off, we need to do damage control.”

Keith scoffed into the phone wedged between his shoulder and ear. He kicked the fridge closed, sandwich ingredients obtained. “Geeze, he’s such a drama queen, why you guys take him as a client I don’t know. Is it for the reunion?”

A tired sigh was his answer.

Keith nodded his agreement even if Shiro couldn’t see him. “Hate to be a part of that family,” Keith muttered, dumping his food on the counter.

_Lance snapped his fingers interrupting the memory. “Oh, oh, oh, I saw one of their reunions once, I swear to god Lotor’s dad banished a cousin or something.”_

_“Lance.”_

_“Yeah, sorry, continue.”_

“They always leave the place trashed afterward too,” Shiro grumbled, he cleared his throat. “So could you babysit Aaron?”

“Uuuhh,” Keith stalled, twisting the paring knife in his fingers, light glinting off the metal, before trying to saw the too short knife through the bread Hunk left him. “Are you sure about that, Shiro? Can’t you ask Lance or someone? The last time I was with a kid was…never.”

“Aw, c’mon Keith, you’ve been around Aaron and he loves you! You’re his favorite uncle!”

 _Lance threw up his arms, almost hitting Keith in the face. “What am I?! Chopped liver?!_ ”

_Keith just rolled his eyes before continuing._

He pushed the jagged pieces of bread aside and took out the cold cuts. “I’m his only uncle. And that was when the only thing he did was drool and poop, and if he pooped I handed him to either Allura or Lance.”

“He shouldn’t be too much trouble, Keith, he’s only eight months old. He just babbling and crawling now. Hi Aaron!” A wet kissing sound and a little baby giggle. “Can you say daddy? Come on, say daddy!”

_Lance scrunched his face, pressing his mouth into a thin line in effort not to say anything._

_Keith stared him down.“Say fucking nothing, Lance.”_

_“What? I’m just thinking how cute Shiro is as a father, thank you very much… As a dadd—OW!”_

Keith rolled his eyes as he listened to his brother baby talk and Aaron answering with little ‘buh buh buh’s’. “Hello, Keith!” a lyrical voice greeted.

“Hi, Allura.”

“Could you please babysit, Keith?” He could almost imagine her batting big turquoise eyes at him. If that kid is anything like his mother… god save them all. “I’ve already tried Lonce and he has a final paper he has to write.”

“Hunk?”

“Working.”

“Coran?”

“Setting up decorations for the reunion.”

“…Pidge?”

“Keith.” She sounded simultaneously disappointed and reprimanding.

He sighed and shoved the leftover food back into the fridge, assembling his sandwich. “Fine.”

He could hear a happy clap on the other end of the phone. “Thank you, Keith!”

“Thanks, baby bro!” He heard Shiro call. “Aaron, say ‘thank you, Uncle Keith!’” The two parents chorused the last part, some rustling in the background and he knew they were giving a flipping eight-month-old the phone.

“Buh buh buh!”

-

Lance stared at him, wheels turning in his head as he sluggishly deduced what happened. He suspected what happened but he _really_ wished it wasn’t what he was thinking but what _else_ could it be?

He slowly slid his hand up, indicating for Keith to just…no, please no. Speak no more, whatever it is it better not be what it sounds like.

“…Keith…please tell me that you didn’t lose the baby.”

His silence said it all.

“You _lost_ Aaron?!” Lance shouted, waving his arms like he was about to take flight.

“I didn’t _lose_ him!”

“Then where is he?!”

“I’m…not…sure…but!” Keith exclaimed holding up a finger. “He’s got to be somewhere in the house!”

“Great, Keith, _great_ , how did you lose him in the first place?”

“We were playing hide and go seek!”

Lance held his hands up beseechingly, looking around the house as if he were looking for something lost. Like Keith’s _mind._ “You were playing hide and go seek with an eight-month-old?!”

“He’s like…developed by now, right?”

“He can’t even walk yet, Keith. He’s just starting to talk.” He stomped his foot voice cracking. “ _He’s not developed!”_

Keith crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. “He can crawl! And what else are you supposed to do with kids?!”

“Even when you’re playing hide-and-seek with _age-appropriate_ kids you’re supposed to keep an eye on them, Keith! When they go to hide you peak, that way you know where they are!”

Keith looked at him like he was five and Lance just told him that Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, and hippos weren’t real—mouth agape, brows furrowed, and pupils blown. “That’s cheating!”

Lance groaned, burying his face in his hands and squatting down to the floor and plopping on his butt. It was too much. Honestly. What is he going to do with this boy? Obviously, he was going to have to make sure he didn’t lose their k—

…

Okay, let’s put a pin in that.

He blindly groped for Keith, grabbing his pants leg chanting, “Keith, Keith, Keith. Take this from someone with years of experience. They’re babies.” He peeked up at him through his fingers, one blue eye showing. “They won’t know. They won’t _care._ ”

Keith shook off his hand, rolling his eyes. He reached down and pulled him off the floor, strong enough to make Lance do a little hop at the apex. “I can’t lie to babies, Lance!”

Lance inhaled deeply through his nose, put his hands together like he’s praying. Which, by the Virgin Mary, he might as well be. “Okay, one, you can’t lie period. Two, YOU STILL HAVE TO _WATCH_ THEM!”

“I know that!”

“So why didn’t you!”

Keith shoved his face into his own, knocking his forehead into his; scowl scrunching up his face. “Because I can’t act for shit!”

Lance slapped his hand over his mouth, wincing at the sound but not removing it. “There is a _child_ lost around here! Watch your language!”

Keith got that familiar mulish look on his face, squinted eyes, wrinkled nose, he could even feel the corner of his lips curl up in a pout, parting—

“EUGH!” Lance snatched his hand back, scrubbing the wetness off on his jeans.

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit, shitshitSHIT!”

“Thit!”

They both froze.

They stared at each other, afraid to look down. If they don’t see it, it’s not real.

“Thit!”

Keith refused to look, determined to stare straight ahead at a spot right above Lance’s shoulder little “nuh-uh’s” of denial escaping his throat.

Lance closed his eyes, entire face scrunching up. Slowly, he turned his head and cracked one eye open. Yup. There he was, bracing what little weight he had on wobbly legs and an overturned chair… was Aaron.

Aaron grinned gummily up at them; two little nubs of teeth poking out from the top and bottom gums. He let go of the chair to clap, giggling, before becoming overbalanced and topping over on his bum and giggling more.

So adorable, so sweet, so innocent, so giggling out the word shit.

They’re so dead.

“I told you not to fucking swear.”

Keith punches Lance on the arm, indignant. “And you tell _me_ not to swear!”

 _“Well…”_ Lance drew out, rubbing his arm. “Once they know one they know them all.”

Keith dragged his hands down his face, staring at the giggly baby. “God, Shiro’s going to kill me.”

“Ehh, I would worry more about Allura dude.” He clapped a hand on Keith’s shoulder, smacking his lips. “Good luck with that, man.”

“Shit.”

-

“And done.” Lance huffed out, righting the sofa before bracing a hand on the back and vaulting over, landing with a soft _whump_ on the cushions. He sprawled out his arms, taking in the clean living room and the sleeping twenty-something spread-eagled on the floor with a baby on his chest.

Lance couldn’t help the soft smile that tugged at his lips. Keith would be a good dad after the panic stage. He complained and whined at how he never hung around kids but, oh boy, kids—at least that one—loved him. And despite the rocky start, he really took to him.

They set Aaron on the floor and Keith sat next to him and made sure he didn’t crawl away. He didn’t _crawl_ but it was a _huge_ surprise when that kid started toddling off on two legs.

The little munchkin giggled his way to the bedroom before Keith plucked him off the ground.

At least that explains where he got to so fast.

Lance blinked, eyelids heavy. Yawning he let himself fall to the side, head pillowed by one of those decorative cushions that are specifically to _not_ be used like every other pillow out there. Sleep weighed on him, draping a soft blanket of fuzziness over his mind.

He would wake up in 20 minutes.

-BONUS SCENE-

The door clicked open and two exhausted parents trudge through the door one at a time. When they renovate the entryways are the first to undergo, they’re really only big enough for a person and a half. Half-asleep and limbs heavy they fumbled through ditching their shoes and coats, leaving them in a heap. They didn’t mean to stay so long but Lotor had to draw out every single instant, turning something that should have been two hours tops into something that took all afternoon.

“Maybe we should consider dropping Lotor from the client list,” Allura murmured.

Shiro fought through a yawn. “His family reunions are one of our highest revenues, hun.”

Allura sighed, clutching her husband’s arm. He’s a strong fellow he can support her weight. “Next time I want to do a wedding.”

Her husband allowed her clinginess, turning slightly to wrap his arm around her to hold her to him, front to front, hand on the small of her back. Pecking her on the lips and letting his forehead rest against hers he allowed himself to breathe for a moment.

“Next time we’ll go searching specifically for a couple about to get married. You’ll even officiate them. We’ll call down the street, ‘hey! Anyone getting married? Come to the Castle!’” his voice gradually became louder.

“Shh, shhh, shhhh,” Allura giggled. “The boys must be asleep. Aw, poor, Keith, hope he didn’t have too hard of a time.”

Locking the door behind them they walked, arms around each other, to the living room. “I’m sure he’s fine,” Shiro said, “No matter how much he says he doesn’t spend time with babies he would never let anything happen to them. I’m sure he kept Aaron—“

Allura maneuvered herself, arm still wrapped around her husband, through the slightly too-narrow door. “What is it, dear?”

Shiro shuffled to the side to allow his wife through. “I think that wedding might come sooner than you think.”

A soft gasp. “Aww, those two.” They were both on the floor, though it looked as if Lance crumpled in a heap, partially on his stomach and side, limbs askew and folded uncomfortably with Keith snuggled into his back. Aaron was wedged right in between them, on his tummy and drooling on his uncle.

She shook her head. “They need to stop beating around the bush.”

Right in the middle Aaron started squirming, little cooing noises coming from rosy, pink lips. He blinked, eyes a little foggy as he took in his surroundings, trying to figure out what the situation was. Last time he woke up it was under a dusty bed to shouting.

He cooed. Mama was home! And Dada! He struggled to roll over, stuck between the smaller one—Unca something, Kee?—of his Dada and the soft one. He held his arms out, whining in the back of his throat. If he’s not picked up right then they’ll find out how loud he is.

Luckily Mama came over, shushes a soothing sound. Oh! He couldn’t wait to show them what he learned! She picked him up and held him close. Snuggling close he listened to the soothing beat of her heart. He reached out an arm for Dada, instantly feeling a warm hand engulfing his own.

He looked up at the both of them. They’re both going to be _so_ happy! “Thit!”

Their reaction was not what he expected. Just staring at him, no cuddles or tickles or happy, excited noises. They just stared at him. So he tried again. “Thit! Thit! Thit!”

Mama looked at Dada. “Was that…?”

They both looked at the two lumps on the floor. “KEITH!”

Aaron stuck a hand in his mouth. Nope, not what he expected at all.

**Author's Note:**

> So 8mo are first starting to talk but also they have like....no teeth and S is a hard letter for kids xD
> 
> it's also very early for kids to walk but not impossible.
> 
> Also, he was hiding under the bed sleeping XD


End file.
